3er's BAVSOUND Stage 1 Review

[Vectors2final]

I'll give a shot.

Thanks!

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by Vectors2final

I'll give a shot.

Thanks!

No problem

[Vectors2final]

Looks like I can just use VLC

JetAudio is a Windows app, so I just started playing around with VLC and I think it is working....

EDIT: Yes!

[Xerxes480]

Originally Posted by bobbydigital

Has anyone bothered to do this upgrade in a lease car? I know it'd be basically a throw away since uninstalling it at the end of the lease would probably be more pain that it is worth. But if the sound upgrade is as significant as stated, a lot of lease owners could be happy for a relatively nominal cost.

I'm leasing, and have purchased this upgrade. My reasoning was exactly as you stated - relatively low cost for an upgrade that will make my driving experience that much better. Now, if I could just find the time to install the speakers (or get them installed)...

On the bonus side, if I continue to love my F80 as much as I do now, I may just end up purchasing the car at end anyway. Then it becomes moot.

-X-

[brianeck]

What a great write up! Thanks for taking the time to put that together. Glad to see another realist that notes that things can actually sound different (AKA "better") to individuals in different settings etc and that messing with the EQ is in fact helpful in this regard. . . I've had countless arguments against the idea that "Bavsound said flat EQ is the best" and "Flat EQ is the only way to play high end systems" etc. . . At the end of the day flat EQ provides the best reference for comparison, however in an environment like a car on the move even if the system was "tuned" for flat EQ external noise variables start to play a huge roll, and adjustments are all but necessary.

Your magazine write up is beautifully done! Thanks again.

[3er]

Originally Posted by brianeck

What a great write up! Thanks for taking the time to put that together. Glad to see another realist that notes that things can actually sound different (AKA "better") to individuals in different settings etc and that messing with the EQ is in fact helpful in this regard. . . I've had countless arguments against the idea that "Bavsound said flat EQ is the best" and "Flat EQ is the only way to play high end systems" etc. . . At the end of the day flat EQ provides the best reference for comparison, however in an environment like a car on the move even if the system was "tuned" for flat EQ external noise variables start to play a huge roll, and adjustments are all but necessary.

Your magazine write up is beautifully done! Thanks again.

Thanks, man - very kind words! I agree 100%. At home, I run no EQ adjustments when listening to music. In my car, I boost/subtract frequencies that are harsh/lost when driving.

After speaking with BAVSOUND, they said that their statement around "leaving the EQ flat" is really, "start with the EQ flat and adjust from there." I plan to update the review with a few of those details when I can find some time.

[3er]

#honored

BAVSOUND was kind enough to mention my review in their blog. It's great enough to hear appreciation for the review (especially from the co-founders), but another to have them go out of their way, as they have. I think they'll use a few of my photos as well, but am not sure to what capacity. In any case, what a great and humble company!

[dreamonm4]

fabulous job and write up, i have done a lot of installing over 30+year, you are pro .thank , i enjoy reading.

[3er]

Originally Posted by dreamonm4

fabulous job and write up, i have done a lot of installing over 30+year, you are pro .thank , i enjoy reading.

Thanks!

[Mikster]

3er...did you remove that thick rubber surround boot from the magnets on the woofers?
It doesn't look like you did...and neither did *I*.
But I saw on another forum that we're supposed to.
It's the first I've heard of this, and I've got an email into Bavsound to confirm.
Blimey that would SUCK if we had to remove it.

M

[3er]

Originally Posted by Mikster

3er...did you remove that thick rubber surround boot from the magnets on the woofers?
It doesn't look like you did...and neither did *I*.
But I saw on another forum that we're supposed to.
It's the first I've heard of this, and I've got an email into Bavsound to confirm.
Blimey that would SUCK if we had to remove it.

M

Hey Mikster,

No, the rubber boot around the magnets serves no purpose other than looking nice. BAVSOUND recommends only removing the boot from the center channel speaker due to clearance issues. Leaving the boot on or off for the other speakers is up to the person installing them (i.e., personal preference), as there is no audible or installation difference.

[alg200b]

I've been using your updated settings and really like them. I have Stage 1 installed on my F80 w/ HK. Have you tweaked them any further?

[3er]

Originally Posted by alg200b

I've been using your updated settings and really like them. I have Stage 1 installed on my F80 w/ HK. Have you tweaked them any further?

Thanks!

I still use the posted settings, but find myself going between 100 Hz @ 0 or +2. I find that +2 is sometimes too much for the type of music that I'm listening to (or if I'm in more traffic and don't experience as much road noise). In those cases, I tend to prefer it at 0.

I plan to visit a good friend of mine in the next month or two and will perform a spectrum analysis to figure out which settings result in a flat frequency response, as I'm sure my settings are far from perfect.

[Schm]

You're sure you don't work for Roundel? Great review. I'm considering a BavSound system in my e90 because I can tell at least one of the L7 speakers are fading.

[stroids88]

Fantastic post. Among the best how-to posts I've ever read. Your instructions insight and photos were excellent. Well balanced and thorough.
I'm going to go mess with my EQ settings now.
thank you

[3er]

Originally Posted by Schm

You're sure you don't work for Roundel? Great review. I'm considering a BavSound system in my e90 because I can tell at least one of the L7 speakers are fading.

Lol, sure don't! Thanks for the kind words!

[3er]

Originally Posted by stroids88

Fantastic post. Among the best how-to posts I've ever read. Your instructions insight and photos were excellent. Well balanced and thorough.
I'm going to go mess with my EQ settings now.
thank you

You're too kind, thanks!

[raysspl]

Very very good write-up. Thank you for sharing. This will come in handy when I do begin upgrading the sound system.

[MDIVISION]

Originally Posted by 3er

I posted the following update on the original thread, but thought it was worth sharing in case it's missed by those of you that already read the review and plan to tackle the installation:
---------------------------------------
After having the system installed for a few weeks, I noticed door rattles on two of the four panels. After further inspection, I found that I flattened a few of the clips when putting the panels back on. This might sound obvious, but be very careful when reattaching the door panels to ensure each clip lines up with its respective hole. Without doing so, you're very likely to flatten a few. I replaced the few that were flattened with some OEM units from Amazon (link here). Surprisingly, they're of higher quality than the white original clips and the foam is a touch thicker.

I also found a few original clips in which the thin foam rubber pad that goes between it and the door panel had fallen off during the speaker install. After replacing those (take them from the set you get from Amazon) and putting just a 2" strip of 3M double-sided foam pad between the bottom edge of the door panel where it could rattle against the bare metal, I have been rattle free.

I'm not sure which of the fixes actually remediated the problem, but I did not want to remove the door panel again!

Nice. I was wondering about this and now i ordered 60 of these puppies for my install on Monday!

[3er]

Originally Posted by raysspl

Very very good write-up. Thank you for sharing. This will come in handy when I do begin upgrading the sound system.

Thanks, happy to help!

[3er]

Originally Posted by MDIVISION

Nice. I was wondering about this and now i ordered 60 of these puppies for my install on Monday!

Lol, good luck!

[JNoSol]

Congrats 3er. You made front page news